Because the Wal-Mart SuperCenter in Clermont is open 24 hours a day, like most Wal-Marts, there were no lines outside the store. The lines formed inside. Items such as DVDs, a digital picture frame, bedding and a portable DVD player sat in large display boxes wrapped in plastic to prevent customers from taking things before the official 5 a.m. sale began. However, lines didn’t form nicely around the stacks of boxes in the middle of the store’s aisles.

About 4:45 a.m., there were crowds of people, all waiting to pounce, surrounding each stack of plastic-wrapped boxes. The digital picture frames were opened early by an employee and people hastily began grabbing two or three at a time.

Organized and calm lines formed for the HD TVs which were stored in the layaway department and the digital cameras and video cameras which were in the photo department. However, the electronics department, with its standalone counter area, was a mass of confusion, similar to last year’s Black Friday. People waited in crowds around all sides of the counter, asking questions to employees who looked just as confused as the exhausted shoppers themselves.

One man yelled, "You guys didn’t do a line so you’re not moving me!"

GPS systems were given to the loudest customers or the ones with the longest arms – not necessarily those who had been in line the longest. Like last year, only one person had keys for the cabinets that hold the video games. Some products couldn’t be found right away, causing employees to call to one another over crowds of people.

Are you one of those people who always seem to spend more than you planned for holiday gifts?

You are not alone. While surveys seem to be all over the place this year on spending, a poll from the National Retail Federation found that you will likely spend an average $923.36 this season, up about 4 percent from last year. That’s a lot of money.

Your budget breakdown may look something like this: $469.14 spent on family, $90.13 spent on friends, $22.79 spent on coworkers, and $37.45 on other people like clergy, teachers, and babysitters.

Do you think you’ll end up spending more this year despite efforts to hold back? Are you planning on splurging on a special someone this year or on a special something?

Parents of young children may be interested in an event this Saturday afternoon, Nov. 3, at the Winter Park Village Borders store. It promises family fun, along with plenty of opportunity to browse the bookstore shelves for holiday gifts. And it will draw attention to First Book, a nonprofit that helps underprivileged kids get new books.